SNAP Exam Pattern 2024 (Latest): Check Section Wise Pattern of SNAP Exam & Marking Scheme

SNAP exam has 60 MCQs and every question carries 2 mark. Earlier, there was differential marking in SNAP exam, but in 2020 the marking scheme was revised and every question across sections was allotted 1 mark. You can read the SNAP marking scheme given below:

• SNAP has 60 questions
• Total marks of SNAP exam is 60
• Each question carries 1 mark for correct attempt
• For every wrong attempt, 1/4^th marks are deducted
• The General English section is of 15 marks
• The Quantitative, Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency section is of 20 marks
• The Analytical & Logical Reasoning section is of 25 marks
• There is no deduction of marks for skipping the question

Candidates scoring 45-50 out of 60 can hope for getting a good percentile.

Yes, SNAP is conducted in online mode. Candidates have appear for the exam in computer based test mode at a designated test centre which is allotted to them on the basis of city preferences mentioned by them in the SNAP application form.

To take the SNAP test, they have to log into the computer system using their application details or login credentials. They have to answer the questions using the computer mouse. They have to use the mouse to click on the option they think is correct. All the rough work is to be done on the paper provided in the test lab.

Three SNAP attempts are allowed to every candidate. They can attempt the exam once, twice or thrice. The best score of the three attempts will be taken into consideration for admission shortlist by SIU institutes.

The question papers of all SNAP sessions are same but the questions are different. The pattern, structure, difficulty level and marking scheme are the same for all SNAP sessions but every question paper has unique questions. This is done so that no candidate has any advantage or disadvantage when they appear for the next attempt. Candidates preparing for the SNAP exam, must keep in mind that the different sessions could be of different difficulty level. If their first attempt was easy, the second attempt may not be easy. So, it is important continue to prepare and practice during the gap between two SNAP sessions. The best score of all the sessions will be taken into consideration for SIU personal interview shortlisting.

Yes, coaching is recommended for preparation for any competitive exam as the candidate gets best of aid such as books, study material and mentors. However, the candidates must join coaching if only they can follow the rigorous time-table and daily classes.

About six to eight hours daily is considered good enough duration for SNAP preparation. However, if you start exam preparation late (by October) then you need to devote 10-12 hours daily. SNAP is easy and if you are preparing for other MBA entrance exams, you may not need to work too hard on it. A good number of sample papers and mock tests will be good enough. 

• Some of the most recommended books include:
• How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT
• How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for the CAT by Arun Sharma
• High School English Grammar & Composition by Wren & Martin

Those preparing for both CAT and SNAP exam need not prepare separately. CAT and SNAP syllabus are the same so one can prepare for both from the same study material.  However, since the exam pattern and difficulty level of both exams are different from each other, candidates need to devote a good amount of time on exam specific preparation. They must practice SNAP mock tests to understand the test pattern, topic-wise weightage, types of questions and difficulty level of the questions. The biggest difference between SNAP and CAT is the type of questions, so you need to practice sample question for SNAP to know how and what to prepare for it. You also need to know the sectional composition of SNAP, which is different from CAT. SNAP is easier than CAT so a mix of tough and moderate level SNAP sample questions and mock tests will be adequate for preparation. 

Every candidate can make three attempts in SNAP exam. The SNAP exam is conducted in three sessions in a gap of one or two weeks. Candidates can mention their number of attempts in the SNAP application form. However, they will have to pay application fee per session. Thus, candidates who are sure of making multiple attempts only then they should apply for multiple sessions as the fee amount is non-refundable.  The scores of best attempt will be taken into consideration for shortlisting of candidates for Group Exercise, Personal Interview and Writing Ability Test.

Ideally candidates must take all three attempts as the difficulty level of the sessions could be different and it may so happen that one session is easy and candidates can score high in that.

There is negative marking scheme in SNAP Test. For each wrong answer 0.25 marks is deducted. Thus, the candidates must choose the questions to attempt carefully. If they find a question tough or have a doubt about the right answer, they should leave it. The total time duration for SNAP is 60 minutes so candidates need to keep in mind the time limit as well while choosing a question or spending time on it. They should not spend too much time on a questions. If they are unable to solve it, they should leave it and move on. There is no negative marking for unattempted questions in SNAP exam. If a candidate will leave a question unsolved, they will be marked 0 on that. So, in case one is not sure of the correct answer, they should not select any option. Stay away from negative marking as it will affect your overall score.

Yes, SNAP preparation is possible in six months as it is an easy exam. Candidates who plan to prepare for SNAP form June-July, need to make focused and doable plan which can be executed in the given time limit. Start, with analyzing the SNAP syllabus. Note down the tough and easy topics. Get hold of SNAP books and make a plan for covering the syllabus in 3 months. Pick up two tough and one easy topic per day across the sections. Once, you’ve completed the SNAP syllabus in 3 months, move to solving sample papers and mock tests. Do it for 2 months. In the last one month, do revision and work on topics that you could not touch upon earlier. Check the latest question papers for topic wise weightage and focus on those topics from which maximum questions are asked.

For more, check this article: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/how-to-prepare-for-snap-in-6-months-blogId-21719

A: For preparation of General English section of SNAP exam, candidates must study the following books:

• Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
• High School English Grammar & Composition by Wren & Martin
• Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT by Nishit K Sinha
• How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT by Arun Sharma & Meenakshi Upadhyay

Apart from these books, candidates need to develop reading habit to improve comprehension, writing and vocabulary, which will be immensely helpful at the time of selection for Group Exercise, Writing Ability Test and Personal Interview. To improve English language, you should read books, novels, magazines, business research papers, newspapers. You should also watch English series, movies and TV programmes to learn new words and expressions.

Yes, SNAP preparation is possible in three months as the difficulty level of this exam is easy to moderate. So, if one starts preparing for it with only three months in hand, even then they can score well if they put in six to eight hours daily into preparation. Complete the syllabus in 45 days and the give one month to mock test practice. In the last few days, do revision for complete preparation. To be in a better position, focus more on the topics from which maximum questions are asked. For example, in General English, most of the questions are Grammar based, so focus on it more. In Quantitative Aptitude section, more questions are asked from Arithmetic and Algebra than Geometry so focus on the former two. SNAP always has at least data interpretation question so don’t ignore it. On the other hand, the Logical Reasoning section of SNAP has maximum number of questions (25) and topics are diverse so pay more attention on this section if you have less time to prepare.

Read More: How to prepare for SNAP in 3 months

It is advised that candidates must not rely only on SNAP books but also practice previous years SNAP question papers and mock tests. For English, they must read various fiction and non-fiction books. SNAP authorities provide official mock tests a month before the exam and candidates must practice the SNAP mock tests at least once. Yes, SNAP preparation books recommended by the experts have sample questions with solved answers. All the books mentioned above have sample questions and their process to solve and answers so that candidates can understand and practice well. The questions range from easy to tough and are of various types which help candidates in preparation. However, you should nor rely on the sample questions of course books only. You should practice official as well as unofficial SNAP mock tests of different difficulty levels and types.

The official SNAP question paper is not released by the exam authority anymore. It used to be released along with the answer key after the exam until 2019. Since 2020, when the exam format changed from single session to three sessions, the SNAP question paper, response sheet and answer key release was stopped. Now, after the SNAP exam, the authorities directly release the scorecards.

However, unofficial SNAP answer keys are released by coaching institutes and mentors for candidates to analyse their performance. The unofficial answer keys are released on the same day as exam session contain SNAP questions and their solved answers. These-memory based question paper and answer key help candidates in assessing their performance by seeing which of their attempts were correct and which were incorrect.

There is no definite number of mock test that the candidate should practice. It totally depends on the candidate’s ability and strength viz a viz the SNAP syllabus. Some candidates need less number of SNAP mock tests to reach the optimum level of preparation whereas some candidates need more number of SNAP mock tests to reach the optimum level.

At the same time, it is recommended that on an average, candidates should practice at least 25-30 SNAP mock tests to perform well in the exam. Candidates should also analyse each and every mock test performance to know their progress. With every consecutive mock test, they should be able to score higher than previous mock test. Every candidate must decide upon the number and quality of mock tests based on their preparation level. They neither should solve less mock tests nor over-do it.

SNAP question paper has three sections – General English, Quantitative,  Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency and Analytical & Logical Reasoning. The General English section has the minimum number of questions and Analytical & Logical Reasoning has maximum number of questions. Check the table below for sectional composition of the SNAP question paper. Out of the three, the Quantitative,  Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency section is usually tougher than the other two sections. However, since there is no such criteria of sectional cut offs in SNAP, candidates don’t have the pressure of solving a high number of questions in all the sections. Check the table below for sectional weightage of SNAP question paper.

As per the latest SNAP exam pattern, the question paper comprises three sections – General English, Analytical & Logical Reasoning and Quantitative-Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency. The total number of questions in SNAP is 60 which is to be solved in 60 minutes. The General Awareness section was scrapped in 2020. Sectional break up is as follows:

• General English: 15 questions
• Analytical & Logical Reasoning: 25 questions
• Quantitative-Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency: 20 questions

The marking scheme of all three sections is same. One mark is awarded for correct attempt and 0.25 marks is deducted for incorrect attempt. It is not mandatory to solve all the questions in SNAP. Candidates can solve 75 percent of the questions accurately to expect a 98-99 percentile.

Until 2019, Quantitative, Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency section of SNAP exam used to have the maximum number of questions (40), but from SNAP 2020, the Analytical and Logical Reasoning section has maximum number of questions (25). Now, Quantitative, Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency section has only 20 questions. The main topics from which questions are asked in this section are, Family Tree/Blood Relations, Seating Arrangement, Clocks & Calendars, Critical Reasoning, Coding/Decoding, Direction Sense, Syllogisms, Visual Reasoning, Analogy & Series, Mathematical Reasoning, Meaningful Word/Matrix and Verbal & Miscellaneous Reasoning. To prepare for this section of SNAP, candidates must practice a lot of sample questions of all difficulty levels –easy, medium and tough. There are no formulae or concepts on Logical Reasoning so the preparation is majorly dependent on practice.

There is negative marking scheme in SNAP Test. For each wrong answer 0.25 marks is deducted. Thus, the candidates must choose the questions to attempt carefully. If they find a question tough or have a doubt about the right answer, they should leave it. The total time duration for SNAP is 60 minutes so candidates need to keep in mind the time limit as well while choosing a question or spending time on it. They should not spend too much time on a questions. If they are unable to solve it, they should leave it and move on. There is no negative marking for unattempted questions in SNAP exam. If a candidate will leave a question unsolved, they will be marked 0 on that. So, in case one is not sure of the correct answer, they should not select any option. Stay away from negative marking as it will affect your overall score.

SNAP is one of the few MBA entrance exams which is easy in terms of difficulty level. It is much easier The number of questions, as well as the exam duration are less that than other MBA entrance exams. The type of questions asked in SNAP as also pretty straightforward.

Moreover, SNAP exam is held thrice for candidates to repeat attempts, which allows candidates to improve their score if they want to. The SNAP syllabus is same as other MBA entrance exam and there are no questions on Reading Comprehension or Data Sufficiency. This makes the SNAP exam much easier to crack than other exams.

Since 2020, the exam is conducted for only 60 minutes and the total number of questions asked is also 60. The first section of SNAP question paper is General English, the second section is Analytical & Logical Reasoning and the third section is Quantitative, Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency.